Corn gathering or harvesting machine



w. SMOLLEY.

CORN GATHERING 0R HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I2. 1918.

Patented July 27, 1920.

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CORN GATHERING OR HARVESTING MACHINE.

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CORN GATHERING 0R HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, I918. I Patented July 27, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WAYNE sMoLLnY, or :BnooKvILLE, INDIANA.

CORN GATHERING OR HARVESTING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I,.WAY'NE SMoLLnY, a' citizen of the'United States, residing at Brookville, in the county of'Franklin, State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful and I do hereby declare the=fo llowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrlption of the invention, such as will enableotliers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the improved gathering orharvesting. machine, for removing the ears ofcornfrom" the stalks while standing in the-field.

The invention aims to provide a machine of this kind provided with a corn; stalk defleeting device, in order to slant the stalks forwardly and downwardly under the ma-- chine. v

The invention further aims to provide a seriesofspaced members under a conveyer, for assisting in pulling 0r gatheringorpi cking the ears of corn from the stalks, .as they are bent downwardly under the machine.

The invention further aims to provide a feeding conveyer havingits under part operated rearwar-dly, for instance just the opposite to the direction in which the machine is traveling, to feed the tops or upper portions. of the stalks rearwardly. and toward a cutting element,-whereby the ears and the upper portions of-the stalks may be severed. I

And afurther object of the invention consists in the provision of a conveyer for carry.-. ing the ears of 'corn laterally tofla receptacle or wagon adapted to be driven adjacent tov the. machine, or if desiredthe ears may be conveyed to huskingrolls (not shown).

In practicalfields the details-of construction may necessitate alterations falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combinat on of parts as hereinafter set forth shown in the drawingscand claimed. 1 I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 'July 2'7, 1920.

Application filed September 12, 1918. Serial No. 253.766.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 5.5 .ofFig.,2. v

F 1g 6 is a detail perspective View of a portion of the supporting strip for the gathering and corn picking members. Corn Gathering or Harvesting Mach1ne;-

. be any suitable shape preferably rectangular,

and on stub axles 2 and 3 suitable supporting wheels 4 are journaled, ,whereby'the rear part of the frame may be supported, A stub axle 5 1s carried by the frame, and

' journaled on said axle is an additional supporting wheel 6 for the forward partof the frame. The stub axle 5 carries a sprocket The rear part of the frame is provided w th a transverse beam 8, there beinga trough 9 suspended from this beam 8 by means of the angle plate or bracket 10.

' Secured to the forward face of thebeam 8 by screws 11 is a finger bar 11?, which is angular in cross sectlon, and this finger bar has a guide 11*, in which a cutter bar l2 recip- One end of the cutter bar is pro;

rocates. v1 ded with a downwardly turned arm 12 the ear 12 of which is. pivoted at 12 to pitman 12. Mounted in abearing 12' .of thecframe l is a shaftlQF, the lower endof which has a disk l2 and its upper'end a bevel gear 12 The pitman 12 is pivoted at 13 to the disk 12, Also fixed to the frame 1 is a bearing 13 in which a shaft13 is mounted. One end of the shaft 13 has a sprocket 13 and its other end is provided with a bevel gear 13 meshing with the bevel gear 12. Mounted upon the shaft 23 at its end opposite the sprocket 46 is a sprocketltfl about which thesprocket chain l 'travels. The chain in turn travels about the sprocket 13. It is obvious when the shaft 23 rotates, power is transmitted to the cutter bar, which will shear or cut the upper portions of the stalks, or the ears therefrom, as the stalks are guided. in their movement toward the'cutter by the finger bar., A

any suitable manner (not shown) a plu- V rality of spaced rods or gathering members 16. These rods or gatheringmembers incline downwardly and forwardly, whereby their sharpened ends 17 may engagetthe upper'surface ofthe ground or soil. In-

tegral with said rods or gathering members as shown at. 18 are brace rods 19, which ex tend at acute angles to the rods 16 and rear wardly and have their rear extremities se cured at 20 to the under face'of the trough 9 as at 20, thereby rigidly bracing the rods .01: gathering members 16. As the machine is driven forward, since the projection 21 is designed to be connected in any suitable manner (not shown) to afield-husker (not shown), the stalks will pass between the rods or gathering members 16, and since the spaces between said rods are onlywide enough for the stalks, the ears willbe pulled from the stalks, about the time the upper portion ofthe stalks and the ears reach the cutter bar. Rising upwardly from the rear parts of the sides of the frame are standards 22, in bearings of which the shaft 23 is mounted. Sprockets 24 are mounted upon the shaft'23, and are engaged by sprocket chains 25 of, a conveyer. Thisconveyer comprises the slats 27 which transversely connect'the chains 25.

belting may bedispensed with if'desired. In bearings ofthe forward'portions of the sides of the frame a shaft 28 is mounted, which also has sprockets 29, about which the chains 25 pass. One end of the shaft 28has'an additional sprocket 30, which is engaged by the sprocket chain 31, which also passes about the sprocket 7 whereby motion may be imparted to the conveyer, in the direction of the arrow a. A deflecting shield or plate 32 is secured to the forward ends of the sides of the frame as at'33, thereby not only bracing the sides tohold them rigid but also constituting means to deflect the stalks downwardly and under the conveyer. Since the conveyer moves in the direction of the arrow at, the movement being at a slightly greater speed than the forward travel of the machine, the upper portions of the stalks will be moved rearwardly at atrough 9. .Mounted in the sides of the trough 9 are s'hafts34'and 35. The shaft 34 is provided with a fixed roller 36, while the shaft 35 is provided with a loose roller 37 and over which rollers a suitable conveyer 38 travels whereby the. ears and the likewill be con-..

veyed laterally to a corn husker or if so desired emptied into a suitable wagon (not shown) which may be driven at the side or the machine. One end of the shaft 34 has a 1 of the bevel This conveyer also" includes a canvas belting 26 which may or may not be used. In other words the canvas bevel gear 39. Mounted in bearings of the brackets 40 and 41 is a shaft 42 on one end of which is secured a bevel gear 43, said gear 43 being .in mesh with the bevel gear 39.

The otherfend'of the shaft 42 is provided with a sprocket 44, which is engaged by a.

sprocket chain 45, which sprocket chain eX- tends overthe sprocket 44 and over a sprocket 46 carried by one end of the shaft 23. It is obvious'that since-the conveyer chains 25 'move in the direction of the arrow a, power is transmitted to the conveyer 38 in thedirection ;of the arrow 0 by means chain 45.

is claimed as new and useful is gears 39 and 43 and the sprocket 0 The invention having been set forth what 1. Ina gathering machine, the .combinai tionwith asubstantially rectangular: frame,

said frame being supportedby wheels in a substantiallyv horizontal plane, downwardly and forward extending spaced fingers. having their forward ends disposed adjacent.

the ground, rearwardly extending bracesfor said: fingers and extending insubstantially a horizontal plane,,cutting mechanism adfor separating the stalk from each other during a gathering operation and also forming means forguiding theearstoward the j'acent the-under surface of the' rear ends. of the fingers, saidfingers forming means cutting mechanism, an endless conveyer dis-f posed on an lnclined .planeover. the fingers supported on wheels in a substantially hor-. izontal-plane, of downwardly andforwardly extending spaced fingers. having their forward ends disposed .adjacent the ground,

rearwardly extending bracesfor said fingers and extending rearwardly in as ubstantially horizontal plane, cutting,:mechanism adjacent the under surface of the rear ends of the fingers, said fingers forming means for separating the stalks from each other and engaging the ears of corn below the point of j ointure to the stalkand guiding the ear and stalk in its rearward movement, said fingers also forming means for straightening up bent stalks which may have become bent from weather conditions, an endless conveyer disposed on an inclined planeover the fingers, means for operating the conveyer at a greater speed than the speedof advance of the machine as a whole, thereby allowing the stalks to reach a substantially vertical position before they reach the cutting mecha- 1,347,559 e I r 3 carried at the forward end of the frame'and extending upwardly from the forward end of the endless conveyer whereby the straight stalks will be inclined forwardly before they become engaged between the gathering finers.

C In testimony whereof I have signed my WAYNE SMOLLEY Witnesses:

HARRY FERRIs, FRANK S. MASTERS. 

